LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials say a record 21 California condors have been treated for lead poisoning this hunting season in California.

Veterinarians at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens say three of the endangered birds were critically sick when they arrived.

They were malnourished, had stopped eating and had a disease that causes the stomach to stop moving food.

Dr. Curtis Eng, chief veterinarian and manager of the zoo’s California Condor Program, says it’s scary to see so many sick birds, but two of the condors are recovering, and one remains in critical condition.

Vets say 18 of the condors were mildly ill.

The birds are trapped twice a year to check for lead poisoning.

The condors are getting the lead in carcasses of animals shot by hunters.

California has a new law that will ban lead ammunition, but it won’t be phased in until 2019.

"The easy part is buying the body cameras and issuing them to the officers. They are not that expensive," said Jim Pasco, executive director at the National Fraternal Order of Police. "But storing all the data that they collect - that cost is extraordinary. The smaller the department, the tougher it tends to be for them."